The 20th to the 22nd of May is the first of two World Cup sporting climbing competitions to be held in Salt Lake City, USA. Climbers will once again battle it out in the same categories in Salt Lake City as they did in the last round in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Find out everything you need to know about this weekend’s World Cup in Salt Lake City, from Natalia Grossman of the United States racing on home territory to the new speed world record holder, Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin, competing against compatriot Veddriq Leonardo.
What did the Latest Round Entail?
Perhaps it would be more appropriate to ask what didn’t happen in the previous round.
Both the women’s and men’s world records fell at the speed competition in Seoul: Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw ran 6.64 seconds in the final and went on to win the gold medal, while Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin ran 5.17 seconds in the men’s competition but came in second to his countryman Veddriq Leonardo. It’s expected that all three of them will resume their duties in Salt Lake City.
Natalia Grossman’s dominant performance in the boulder competition, which she used to win gold, was just as exciting. The American finished with four first-place finishes in the final, beating over France’s Oriane Bertone and Grossman’s countrywoman Brooke Raboutou for the medals.
World champion Fujii Kokoro of Japan came from behind to win the men’s boulder competition, continuing Japan’s dominance in the early stages of the season. Narasaki Tomoa and Ogata Yoshiyuki, who placed second and third, respectively, rounded out the Japanese podium sweep.
Salt Lake City’s Rising Stars
American climber Alyssa Grossman has demonstrated she is in excellent form ahead of two home meets, while Olympic champion Janja Garnbret, who won the first round of the boulder World Cup in Meiringen, Switzerland, will not be competing in any of the subsequent boulder World Cup competitions this season.
Grossman surpassed his rivals in Seoul and hopes to do the same in Salt Lake City. Raboutou, another American, will be worth keeping an eye on as she tries to build on the bronze medal she won in the previous competition.
French superstar Bertone is now in second place this season, behind only Grossman (1805 points). Stasa Gejo of Serbia, who is presently ranked third with 1105 points, should also be given due consideration.
Kokoro, Tomoa, and Yoshiyuki, three Japanese climbers, are heavy favourites to win the men’s bouldering competition. After two rounds, Tomoa has accumulated a gold and silver, putting him ahead of Yoshiyuki and Kokoro.
When the World Cup Travels to Salt Lake City, will they be Able to Keep Up their Winning Ways?
Leonardo is currently at the lead of the men’s speed competition, followed closely by Katibin in second and Adi Mulyono Rahmad in third. All three climbers hail from Indonesia. After Katibin took the world record from Leonardo in Seoul, fans can anticipate another thrilling showdown between the two leaders in Salt Lake City.
After setting a new standard for female athletes everywhere in Seoul, Miroslaw is the one to watch in the women’s speed competition.
However, she will have to contend with Emma Hunt of the United States, who will be motivated to do well in front of her home crowd. Aside from the top two teams, Poland’s Aleksandra Kalucka and Germany’s Franziska Ritter will also be competing for the World Cup title.
Climbing’s World Cup is Coming to Salt Lake City, and the Schedule is Now Available.
- Exactly 12:15 a.m. on May 20 Validation of Velocity
- 8:00 pm Scrambled finals
- On the 21st of May, at 9:00 a.m. A Qualifying Round for the Men’s Bouldering Event
- 6:00 pm Qualification for Women’s Bouldering
- Time on May 22nd, Sunday: 11 a.m. Semifinals in Boulder,
- 4:00 p.m. The Men’s Bouldering Final